Brookfield attorney license revoked in abuse case

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The Wisconsin Supreme Court revoked a Brookfield attorney’s license for his extensive abusive behavior towards his now ex-wife.

According to court records, Osman Mirza plead guilty to one count of felony stalking and one misdemeanor criminal trespass to a dwelling, both as acts of domestic abuse in April 2023. At his sentencing as part of a deal with prosecutors, nine other criminal counts were dismissed but read in. After his conviction, the Office of Lawyer Regulation filed a motion to suspend his license in August 2023.

The decision this week against Mirza continues a case the court originally heard in its 2024-25 session. Then, it sent the case back to the referee to clarify the alleged misconduct.

The OLR’s complaint cited Mirza’s extensive physical and psychological abuse over two years towards the victim, including entering her home without consent. The misconduct was linked to violations of Supreme Court Rule 20:8.4(b), which prohibits criminal acts reflecting poorly on an attorney’s integrity.

The referee adopted a limited stipulation, focusing on five acts and broad allegations of vulgar language, without detailed specifics in the presentation to the court. The referee recommended a one-year, retroactive license suspension for Mirza. The court said the “meager stipulation” left it with “a difficult job.”

The court majority concluded Mirza’s misconduct warranted a license revocation, aligning it with similar cases involving prolonged abuse. In addition to entering the woman’s home without her approval, Mirza also peeked in her windows at night, flipped her over the couch, hit her in the mouth and threatened to break her arms, shouted profanities at her in front of their children and installed an app on her phone allowing him to track her whereabouts.

“… the violent, abusive, and aberrant nature of this behavior demonstrates that Attorney Mirza lacks the character and integrity necessary to the practice of law. We are particularly concerned that Attorney Mirza’s abusive conduct went on for years,” the court wrote.

The court further compared Mirza’s case to Meyer, who had his license revoked after being convicted of felony stalking and physical threats against a former intimate partner. The court characterized Mirza’s behavior as egregious, dangerous and reflective of severe character defects undermining public confidence.

Mirza was also ordered to pay costs of $24,056.22.

The court’s decision was not unanimous. Justice Brian Hagedorn wrote a dissenting opinion, who was joined by Justices Annette Kingsland Ziegler and Rebecca Grassl Bradley.

While Hagedorn agreed Mirza’s conduct was worthy of a “significant sanction”, he said the court went much farther by revoking his license altogether. He said his concern was less with the specific “length of the suspension than the apparent rational for the decision.” Hagedorn said the stiffer sentence may have been given since the crime was related to domestic violence.

“Our past cases with this kind of sanction have involved a tie between the crime and the practice of law — for example, using one’s position as an attorney to take advantage of someone else,” he said. “Thus, this sanction appears inconsistent with how we have dealt with cases in the past, raising concerns about whether this court is being evenhanded in its dispensing of attorney discipline.”